2017-18 CMA Board of Directors

Dr. Brian Brodie * Chair

Dr. Brodie is a family physician in Chilliwack, located in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia. After a lengthy time at the Board of Doctors BC (formerly the British Columbia Medical Association), where he was the President in 2009-10, he joined the CMA Board as a director in 2010. After a year as the Honorary Treasurer in 2012-13, he became the Chair of the CMA Board in 2013.

Dr. Brodie completed the Institute of Corporate Directors’ program in 2014 and attained his ICD.D designation in early 2015. He was recognized by his peers and honoured with the distinction of the Canadian Certified Physician Executives (CCPE) in spring 2015 in Vancouver.

Although a third of his time is spent in Ottawa doing the work of the Board, he continues a full-time clinical practice and maintains his many interests in business and family life. He is a keen sportsman and enjoys golf, running and weight training and has an active family life with his seven children and seven grandchildren. His vision and motivation in life is to help others reach their full potential and find the wisdom that lies within each of us.

Dr. Laurent Marcoux* President 2017-18

Dr. Laurent Marcoux graduated from
Université Laval in 1973 and has devoted his career to clinical and administrative medicine, always with the same objective: to constantly improve patients’ access to care and promote community medicine.

His career began in 1976 when he founded the
Centre médical Saint Denis-sur-Richelieu on Montreal’s South Shore. This rural medical clinic was 30 kilometres away from any other point of service, and provided primary and secondary care, including radiology and blood testing. He managed the clinic for 32 years.

In addition to his family practice, Dr. Marcoux has held senior positions at the Hôpital Honoré-Mercier in Montérégie: head of the emergency department for four years, followed by head of the clinical department of general medicine, which included 65 general practitioners.

His dedication to patients throughout his career has not gone unnoticed. In 2005, the
Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec named him general practitioner of the year.

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His interest in reorganizing care led him to become the first president of the Commission médicale régionale de la Montérégie. He held this position for four years, representing the region’s 3,000 physicians by serving on the board of the Conseil régional de santé et de services sociaux. He served on the Hôpital Honoré-Mercier’s Conseil des médecins, dentistes et pharmaciens for 10 years. Afterwards, he represented physicians on the institution’s board of directors before being elected chairman of the board from 1988 to 1992.

After completing a master’s degree in health administration at the Université de Montréal in 2000, he became head of the regional general medicine department in Montérégie, which included over 1,500 family physicians; he held this position for eight years.

From 2004 to 2008, Dr. Marcoux was a member of the Conseil médical du Québec, an organization that advises Quebec’s minister of health on major organizational issues in the health care system. During this time, he was also a member of the Comité ministériel sur la définition de la médecine de famille au Québec and was asked to serve as director of professional services at the Centre hospitalier Anna-Laberge in Châteauguay, southwest of Montreal.

First Nations’ health is a priority for Dr. Marcoux, and from 2012 to 2016, he served as the director of medical affairs and services of the
Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

He was president of the
Québec Medical Association from 2013 to 2015, and was one of two Quebec representatives on the Canadian Medical Association’s Board of Directors from 2011 to 2016.

Dr. Marcoux is very involved in his community. He founded the
Ensembles musicaux du Mont-St-Hilaire to support young musicians and was a founding member of the Club optimiste Saint Denis. In 2008, the Chambre de commerce régionale du Bas-Richelieu named him a “Grand Richelois,” an honour awarded by local businesspeople in recognition of his contribution to the community.

Dr. Marcoux speaks French, English and Spanish. He has three sons and four precious grandchildren—two boys and two girls.

Dr. F. Gigi Osler
* President-Elect 2017-18

Dr. Osler graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 1992. Following this, she completed a rotating internship at the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface General Hospital from 1992 to 1993.

She began studying Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Manitoba in 1993 and graduated from the residency program in 1997. This was followed by a Rhinology fellowship at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC. She has been in practice in Winnipeg since 1998.

Dr. Osler is the Head of the Section of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at St. Boniface Hospital and is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Manitoba. When working at St. Boniface Hospital, she is actively involved in the teaching of medical students and residents. She has presented at local, provincial and national meetings.

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Dr. Osler is actively involved with Canadians Helping Kids in Vietnam (CHKV), a Winnipeg-based charity. She volunteered as a member of CHKV's medical mission to Long Xuyen, Vietnam in 2011. The mission's goals were to educate Vietnamese doctors and nurses, deliver donated medical equipment and supplies, and to present bicycles to deserving schoolchildren. More information on CHKV and the mission can be found at
www.chkv.org.

For the last several years Dr. Osler has been volunteering in Africa to help train other surgeons. Through an ongoing collaboration with Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute / Harvard University, University of British Columbia, University of Manitoba, and the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the group works at building up the educational infrastructure of the ENT Department of the Mbarara University of Science and Technology by expanding their clinical capacity to improve the quality of local care. More information can be found at
www.entcanada.org

A recognized advocate for physician health, Dr. Osler co-chaired the 2015 Canadian Conference on Physician Health and served as chair of the Physician Health and Wellness Committee for Doctors Manitoba. In 2017, she was awarded their Health or Safety Promotion award in recognition of her efforts to develop and implement programs to support the health and well-being of doctors.

Associations and Memberships:

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Canadian Medical Association

Doctors Manitoba (formerly Manitoba Medical Association)

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba

Canadian Medical Protective Association

Canadian Network for International Surgery

Dr. Granger Avery
* Past President 2017-18

A world traveller in his youth, Dr. Granger Avery studied at the University of London in England and the Auckland University in New Zealand before settling in British Columbia (B.C.) in 1973. Following training in advanced obstetrics, he commenced a residency at the Vancouver General Hospital, specializing in anaesthesia, and settled in Port McNeil the following year. There, he started his general practice, which included emergency medicine, obstetrics, surgery and general anaesthesia.

Dr. Avery’s lifelong dedication to patient service developed further with outreach clinics in 1979, when he started working with eight remote clinics in isolated communities. The next year was the first of what would be a 35+ year teaching career at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He rose from instructor, to professor, to become a member of several executive advisory committees on admission selection and post graduate expansion. As an advocate for education and equal access to health care, Dr. Avery continued to work in these areas, holding additional leadership positions within the B.C. Ministry of Health, the B.C. Medical Services Commission and the Hospital and Health Authority.

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After 12 years of involvement with the British Columbia Medical Association (now Doctors of BC), Dr. Avery was elected president in 1997. In this role, he improved rural physician recruitment in B.C., lobbying the government, convincing them to withdraw the “Proration” laws which would have reduced physician fees and introduce ‘On-Call’ payments for rural physicians, a process that eventually spread to hospitals across Canada. Dr. Avery also authored the “Wait List” system, which recorded the number of patients awaiting surgery and diagnostic care, and made this publically available, persuading the government to improve funding to many essential services. Now a national initiative, it was the first of its kind in Canada to be developed at a provincial level.

In 2000, Dr. Avery recognized the need for a co-ordinated medical body to help manage the issues faced by those practicing in rural health care environments, and created with government the first BCMA Collaborative committee which now manages BC’s rural programs. In 2005, he and his colleagues developed the Rural Co-ordination Center of B.C., an initiative that continues to grow and promote a wide range of activities, including education.

Dr. Avery has also been involved in the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) for many years. He was an integral member of the CMA Council on Health Care in 1993 and has since played a variety of roles within the organization, including serving as Chair of CMA’s CEO Search and Review Committee, as well as Director and Vice Chair of the CMA Board of directors.

Dr. Avery continues to be deeply committed to the health care system in his local community, across Canada and around the world. From speaking engagements, to volunteer work, and his membership in a wide-range of associations and commissions, Dr. Avery demonstrates passion and commitment for all the work he does. For the last 10 years, he has been working to understand the importance of, and improve, the entire “Continuum of Care” – a physician’s life cycle and the necessary system supports.

Duly recognized for his contributions, Dr. Avery has received awards including the Doctors of BC Silver Medal, the Excellence in Teaching award from UBC’s Department of Family Practice and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his Services to Rural Medicine.

Dr. Guruswamy Sridhar completed his medical training in India. He obtained his MRCP from the United Kingdom Royal College of Physicians and Fellowship in Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. After completing his Fellowship in Sleep Medicine in Minnesota, US, he moved to and went into practice in Regina, Saskatchewan.

He has played an active role in the association in varying capacities and was the President of Saskatchewan Medical Association in 2010. His passion continues to be physician leadership in health care, quality improvement and sustainable health care transformation. He actively promotes these with his colleagues, administrators and Ministry of Health.

Dr. Ann Collins
New Brunswick representative
* Member-at-Large

Dr. E. Ann Collins is a Dalhousie University Class of 1985 graduate. Following three years of military service with the Canadian Armed Forces in Kingston, ON, Dr. Collins started a family practice in Fredericton NB. It continues to be a challenging and interesting full- scope practice providing office and hospital care. She also provides nursing home care and has been a Family Medicine Residency teacher with the Dalhousie program since 1998.

Dr. Collins served as president of the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) as well as five years as Board Chair. Dr. Collins has led two NBMS governance reviews and served on the 2008 Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) Governance Review Committee task force. She currently sits on CMA’s Governance Committee. Community involvement has been highlighted by a six-year term (two years as Chair) on the Board of Governors of St. Thomas University, a leading Liberal Arts school in Fredericton.

Dr. Rao Tadepalli
Yukon

Dr. Rao Tadepalli is an Emergency and Family Physician from Whitehorse, Yukon. A graduate of Mysore University, India, Dr. Tadepalli completed his residency in Ireland. He obtained a Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. He later went into Family Practice and obtained his CCFP designation. He has been actively involved in working to strengthen his profession in the North. He served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Yukon Medical Association for almost a decade. Dr. Tadepalli currently serves as the President of Whitehorse General Hospital Medical Staff and as a member of the Yukon Hospital Foundation.

Dr. Ewan Affleck
Northwest Territories

A graduate of the McGill School of Medicine, and Dalhousie University where he studied history, Dr. Ewan Affleck has worked and lived in northern Canada since 1992. He is the long serving Medical Director of the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority and Clinical Director of Family Medicine at Stanton Territorial Hospital. A digital health information systems expert, he pioneered the implementation of an electronic medical record system in the Northwest Territories, and serves as co-sponsor of the Territorial EMR project. A faculty member of the University of Calgary, he maintains an active clinical practice, teaches, and provides both hospital-based and community services. He is passionate about developing sustainable health services for northern communities, and has conceived the design of a remote community clinical support network based on the principle of Networked Health. In 2013 he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contribution to northern health care.

Dr. Shelley Ross
British Columbia

Dr. Shelley Ross has spent her professional life as a full service family physician with a special interest in obstetrics. Graduating from the University of Alberta in 1974, she moved to BC to do her Family Practice Residency and settled in Burnaby, BC. She first became involved in organized medicine through the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and was the Vancouver Branch President, the National President and then President of the Medical Women’s International Association. She has served the Doctors of BC in several capacities, including President from 2012-2013 and is currently the Co-Chair of the General Practice Services Committee. She sits on the CMA Board as a representative from BC and chairs its Governance Committee.

Dr. Robin Saunders
British Columbia

Dr. Robin Saunders is a full service rural family physician who has been active in Sooke, BC for over 25 years. He graduated from the University of London (St. Thomas’ Hospital) and holds postgraduate qualifications in Obstetrics and Pediatrics.

Dr. Saunders is past Chair of the Board of Directors of Doctors of BC, past Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee and the Central Coordinating Committee. Presently, he is Chair of the Board of Directors of the South Island Division of Family Practice and Joint Chair of the Collaborative Services Committee. He served on CMA’s Resolutions Committee for six years and Committee on Ethics for six years (he subsequently served as Chair of the Committee on Ethics for four years).

Dr. Saunders has held positions as Junior Lecturer in Pediatrics in the University of London and is presently a clinical instructor in Family Practice for the University of British Columbia. He worked for a year as the medical director for BBC Television in London. His present interests include family practice renewal, vaccine hesitancy, the development of rural palliative care teams and medical professionalism.

Dr. Charles Webb
British Columbia

Born in South Africa, Dr. Charles Webb attended the University of Cape Town obtaining a medical degree (1982) and Diploma in Anesthesia (1985). He spent time in Northern Manitoba (1988), then as a head of Anesthesia in Creston, BC. Dr. Webb started general practice affiliated to St. Vincent's Hospital (1992) and has since served as an examiner for the Medical Council of Canada. Dr. Webb was elected to the Board of Doctors of BC, formerly the British Columbia Medical Association, 2008. In 2015 he became President of Doctors of BC. He is a patron of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada now serving as President of the Vancouver Medical Association.

Dr. Carl Nohr
Alberta

Dr. Carl Nohr began as an academic transplant surgeon at McGill. He has since been re-invented as a community general surgeon in Medicine Hat, AB. He was the co-chair for the development of the Alberta Provincial Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules, and has served on the Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. He has served in the Alberta Medical Association as Speaker and President. He is an avid student of health policy and legislation, rules of order and communication skills. He has a passion for patient care, professionalism, stewardship and the social contract.

Dr. Linda Slocombe
Vice-Chair, Alberta representative

A family physician by training, Dr. Slocombe currently practices Low-risk Obstetrics in a large group practice in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Slocombe grew up in Victoria, BC and completed her family medicine residency in Calgary in 1983 after receiving her MDCM from McGill University in 1981. Her past involvement with the Alberta Medical Association as a Board Member and as President has allowed Dr. Slocombe the great opportunity to be a part of a national organization and she looks forward to the challenges ahead.

Dr. David Cram
Manitoba

Having been raised in rural Manitoba and having practiced there for many years, Dr. David Cram has been a strong advocate for rural medicine. He organized the region’s doctors into the Manitoba Southwest Association of Rural Physicians, then later joined and became president of Doctors Manitoba. Dr. Cram is currently Chair of the Manitoba College of Physicians Westman Standards and the Regional Medical Advisory Committee, and serves on many other committees in the region. Dr. Cram believes it truly is a privilege to practice medicine and we should all work to honor this role to our patients and the medical system.

Dr. Kiran Cherla
Ontario

Dr. Kiran Cherla has been a comprehensive care family physician in Georgetown, Ontario, for the past 12 years. He has privileges in Georgetown hospital doing emergency shifts, primary care obstetrics and hospital work. Dr. Cherla has represented Halton Healthcare Services as President of the Professional Staff Association. He currently sits as a Board member of the Halton Hills Family Health Team and Co-lead of the Halton Hills Health link. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University Family Practice program-Halton Site. Dr. Cherla is the General Practice assembly Board Director and represents the profession on the Ontario Medical Association Board.

Dr. Albert Ng
Ontario

Dr. Albert Ng is a family physician in Windsor and has been in practice there for 31 years. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1984. Dr. Ng has held various positions including Chief of the Department of Family Medicine at Windsor Regional Hospital 1994-2008, Medical Society President 2002, and is the Medical Director at a number of long term-care facilities. He has been on the Board of the Ontario Medical Association since 2013 and has been involved with various committees and working groups relating to member services, governance, budget, physician activities and subsidiary relevance. He currently serves as the chair of the Staffing Committee and is a member of the OMA Governance Committee and Member Communications and Public Affairs Advisory Committee.

He completed the Rotman School of Management’s Governance Essentials for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations certificate program in 2013 and has a Masters certificate in physician leadership. Dr. Ng’s passion is in people and our organizations.

Dr. Adam Steacie
Ontario

Dr. Adam Steacie practices comprehensive Family Medicine and Palliative Care in Eastern Ontario. His education includes a Masters in Virology and MD at Queen’s University, and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA)-CMA Physician Leadership Development Program in 2012.

Professional passions include Vascular Prevention and Palliative Care. At the OMA he chaired the President’s Advisory Panel on End of Life Care in 2013-2014. At the CMA he has chaired the Committee on Health Care and Promotion.

Dr. Richard Tytus
Ontario

Dr. Richard Tytus practiced as a GP Anesthetist for five years in Blind River, ON prior to practicing in downtown Hamilton - an area designated as Code Red. He is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University.

Dr. Tytus is Past-President of the Hamilton Academy of Medicine. He is the recent past Ontario Medical Association (OMA) District 4 Director, recent past OMA Honourary Treasurer, Past Chair of OntarioMD, recent Past Chair of the OMA Member Services Board Committee, Chair of the Professional Leadership Development Program and Member of the OMA Insurance Committee. He was also the Co-Chair of the Virtual Care Working Group and was a member of the Ontario Physician eHealth Council.

Dr. Tytus has received numerous awards including the 2012 Family Physician of the Year presented by the Ontario College of Family Physicians. He is a strong believer that technology offers health care providers the ability to facilitate patient medical access and improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Shawn WhatleyOntario

Dr. Shawn Whatley joined the Ontario Medical Association Board of Directors in 2010 and now serves as Chair of the Health Policy Committee.

He helped transform emergency services at Southlake Regional Health Centre. By fall 2014, the Southlake Emergency Department had grown to 100,000 annual visits and continues to lead Ontario in Pay 4 Results due to the coordinated efforts of an entirely new leadership team.

Dr. Whatley completed the OMA-CMA Ontario Physician Leadership Development Program with cohort 1. He has a book on emergency department flow solutions coming out soon with BPS Publishing, Toronto.

Dr. Whatley finds systems, policy and politics fascinating but believes that decisions should ultimately be measured by how they impact patient service. He opened a tiny rural practice to allow time to consult, write and enjoy his four young children.

Dr. Bruno J. L’HeureuxQuebec

After completing a program in classical studies at Montréal’s Collège Notre-Dame, Dr. L’Heureux pursued his studies in health sciences at Collège Marie-Victorin before beginning his studies in medicine at Québec’s Université Laval; he also completed a master’s degree in administration at l’Université de Montréal in 2003.

Dr. L’Heureux has been a family physician for 35 years and practises within a family medicine group, which is also considered a network clinic, at the Polyclinique Médicale Concorde in Laval, a leading organization in professional care. He has been an active member of the Québec Medical Association and CMA since his medical studies, and occupied various roles during those years. In 1994, he became the youngest CMA president. He represented Canada as part of the World Medical Association for four years. He has sat on and chaired several boards of directors including, among others, the Canadian Medical Protective Association, the Association sur l’accès et la protection de l’information, the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. He was a founding member of both the Quebec and Canadian federations of medical students.

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Until 2012, Dr. L’Heureux performed various senior executive roles in the health network, all while maintaining an active medical practice. In 2014, the Quebec government’s Conseil exécutif appointed him as an administrative judge in the Social Affairs Division of the Tribunal administratif du Québec, on which he still sits. He has received a number of distinctions during his career including the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal from the Governor General, in 1992, and the Golden Jubilee Medal commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ascension of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne, in 2003. He has spoken at several conferences and has been invited on numerous panels in addition to being a television commentator on health.

Dr. Abdo Shabah
Quebec

Dr. Abdo Shabah is an emergency physician, innovator and public health specialist. He has participated in many humanitarian missions, conducts research in information technology in disaster settings (founded HUMANITAS in 2013 to create technological solutions to assist emergency responders and others) and continues to serve in the International Emergency Response Unit with the Canadian Red Cross.

After many years practising in Quebec’s Northern regions (Nunavik), Dr. Shabah practiced in a Level I trauma centre in Montreal and has participated in aeromedical evacuations since 2007. He has been appointed medical director at many Canadian health care organizations and currently works as an associate professor at the University of Montreal while collaborating with many national and international universities and organizations for the development of humanitarian innovations.

Dr. Shabah holds an MBA from McGill University, as well as an MSc in Health care Administration and an MD from the University of Montreal. He also has a Certificate in Humanitarian Studies, Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Celina White
Nova Scotia

Dr. Celina White is a family physician from Nova Scotia working as a Mental Health GP and a Chronic Pain Physician. She currently is in her sixth year on the Board of DoctorsNS serving as Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. Dr. White strongly believes that physicians need to have input into as many health policy decisions as is reasonably possible to best ensure that patient care is kept at the forefront for decision makers.

Dr. Frank MacDonald
Prince Edward Island

Dr. Frank MacDonald was born, raised and educated in Halifax, NS. He graduated from Dalhousie School of Medicine in 1978 and completed his residency in Obstetrics-Gynecology in 1985. He worked as a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in New Glasgow, NS from 1985 to 1987, in Moncton, NB from 1988 to 1989 and moved to Charlottetown, PEI in 1989 where he still resides. Dr. MacDonald served on the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island Board of Directors and various committees (negotiations, physician resources, etc.).Prior to joining the CMA Board, he served on the Committee on Health Policy and Economics as a member and chaired the committee for one year.

Dr. Brendan LewisNewfoundland and Labrador

Dr. Brendan Lewis is an Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgeon. Since 1991 he has worked at Western Memorial Regional Hospital, where he is currently the Chief of Surgery and Chief of Orthopaedics. He is also Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).

A graduate of Memorial University’s Medical School, Dr. Lewis completed his residency through a joint Memorial/Dalhousie Program and a fellowship in Trauma and Spinal Disorder at the University of Toronto prior to starting practice in Corner Brook, NL.

He is a past president of several organizations including the NL Medical Association
and Canadian Orthopaedic Association.

Mr. Henry AnnanMedical Students

Henry Annan is a final year medical student at Dalhousie University and the current president of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS). Prior to medical school, he completed undergraduate studies at Saint Mary’s University. Mr. Annan served as the CFMS National Officer for Human Rights and Peace, working to support grassroots global health initiatives on medical school campuses across the country as well as national lobbying campaigns. He is a previous director of the Health Association of African Canadians and a mentor to African Canadian youth in his native Halifax. Mr. Annan has a keen interest in global health and medical education.

Dr. Melanie BechardResidents

Dr. Melanie Bechard is currently the President of Resident Doctors of Canada, the national organization representing over 12,000 Canadian resident physicians. She is a PGY3 resident doctor in Paediatrics at the University of Toronto where she had also attended the Mississauga Academy of Medicine and graduated in 2015 as a Cody silver medalist, awarded for the third-highest standing in the Doctor of Medicine program from a class of over 250 medical students. Dr. Bechard is passionate about evidence-based health policy, medical education and social accountability. These interests have led to her involvement with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students Executive as Vice President Government Affairs, the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario Board of Directors, and the Canadian Doctors for Medicare Board of Directors